World Heritage Sites provides provides helpful tourism information about UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world. Each completed site page includes:
➤ what it is
➤ why it's a UNESCO site
➤ what to expect if you visit
➤ an assessment as to whether it's worth visiting
➤ tips for traveling there
➤ where it is and how to get there
The website provides interactive maps for each country, region and continent, so you can get a sense for where sites are in relation to each other. Visitors can comment on any locations they've visited.
Over 130 bloggers have contributed to the project so far, with about a quarter of the sites covered so far.
+ 471 others joined this month
Comments
I'm proud to announce a project I've been working on for the past year. It's a website providing tourism information about UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world:
This website arose out of my frustration in deciding which UNESCO sites to visit. UNESCO's listing tells plenty about the site and why it's on the list, but nothing to help people decide whether it's worth visiting or where it is, etc.
I have lots more plans for this website - the intangible heritage list, the tentative list, and so on - but first things first. My goal is getting all 1154 sites covered!
About 130 bloggers have contributed so far, with about a quarter of the sites covered. If you're a blogger and would like to contribute by writing about a UNESCO site, please contact me!
Hi Rachel, I just went through the list and I have been to 85 of the sites listed on the World Heritage site whc.unesco.org/en/list/. If I can be of any help to provide content for your site, I would love to be a part of this project.
I'd love that. Will message you with the info when I'm at my desk later today.
Hi Danielle, I can't message you till you follow me back.
Lots of useful information and helpful for trip planning because in my experience, most UNESCO World Heritage Sites are worth visiting as they have been professionally vetted.
I've been to some that were somewhat underwhelming, but also have stopped at some that I'd never heard of and turned out to be wonderful!
This is fantastic, Rachel. World Heritage Sites have always fascinated me & I’m looking forward to learning more about sites I’ve not yet explored.
Thanks, Doreen! Me too: I don't necessarily plan travel around UNESCO sites but I always try to figure out what UNESCO sites are near to wherever I'm planning to travel!
BRILLIANT - What a fantastic website. I've just shared it with my travel community as I know they will love it too. Fabulous.
Thank you for sharing it!
Great idea. Nice work!
Just some quick feedback. When I look at Argentina > Iguazu National Park the page comes up for the Brazilian side.
Yes, I know. It's odd that UNESCO hasn't listed them as a single transnational site. Anyway, the Iguaçu National Park post has been written and Iguazu hasn't yet (would you like to?), so this is a quick way to give readers something!
Thank you!
Fair enough. UNESCO might have listed them separately as the experience is very different in each country. If I ever get around to writing a blog post on Iguazu National Park for Made to Wander I'd be happy to adapt it for World Heritage Sites too. I'm just not sure when that will be, sorry!
Yes, please! Let me know! It might also be because the countries chose not to work together. UNESCO just responds to applications to be listed, so if they applied separately, this is what happens.
This is definitely a much needed source of world travel inspiration. UNESCO doesn't seem to do a lot of self-promotion to the traveling public. In the past I have rarely consulted their heritage list for destination ideas. Good luck with the project!
I am stunned to learn that Ireland only has 2 UNESCO sites. Though I guess people will keep going to Ireland on vacation regardless.
Thanks, Scott! UNESCO isn't intended to promote tourism. It's intended to designate and preserve places that are important to humanity in one way or another. So it makes sense that their site doesn't give the sort of practical info that travelers want. It's frustrating, though. For example, they have maps, but they are physical maps, i.e. without roads or cities marked on them. So it's hard to even figure out where a particular site is!
Ireland has three on the tentative list: Transatlantic Cable Ensemble, The Passage Tomb Landscape of County Sligo, and The Royal sites of Ireland (which is 5 different sites). What surprised me more than Ireland is the US: such a bit
g country and it has only 22 sites (though it does have 19 more tentative sites).
Makes perfect sense and that is an excellent reason for you to create your own UNESCO travel exploration and inspiration site. Looks great so far...
As for Ireland (and the USA as well) I guess they don't think UNESCO status is a high priority for promoting tourism. And I know that Ireland spends a lot on inbound tourism marketing.
Hi, Rachel--I have twice visited Gros MOrne in Newfoundland and have written four different blog posts about our time there, with lots of details that may be helpful to potential visitors. I have also stopped at Stonehammer Geopark in St. John, New Brunswick. I have not written a blog about this place but have photos and experiences to add for that Unesco location too. Happy to share these blog posts with you and see what you are looking for if you want to include Stonehammer geopark too.
Thank you for offering! The article on Gros Morne is already published. Stonehammer is a Geopark, which is a whole other list I haven't started on yet. For now, I'm just doing the 1154 UNESCO World Heritage sites and will eventually move on to the tentative list, the intangible list and the geoparks!
We stopped at Mistaken Point in Newfoundland but were not able to get out to see the fossils (very rough terrain and you need a reservation to visit otherwise restricted access to the area containing fossils). There is a museum that offers great details about the area along with fossil samples and a video of the area. Let me know if our info would be helpful to you.
The Mistaken Point article hasn't been written yet and no one has claimed it either, so if you'd like to write it, you're welcome to! I'll send you a message with my email address. Mail me so I can send you the guidelines.
This is a great resource. Thank you.!